The muses are being quite vocal lately. Perhaps it's because I only just realized I missed the 1 year anniversary of Prophecy (going from the publication date of part 1) on December 2nd. Hard to believe…

I am getting to some of the secrets of Prophecy. Patience! Time will tell all!

Happy holidays!

P.S.: Fair warning, there is minor nudity in the second half of this scene.


Chapter 8: Voices

The first thing Becky realized was that she was not the only thing in the sea of ashes. The river ran by, sluggish and thick, its waters black with death. What had looked from the sky like merely darker patches of ashes were actually heaps of charred wood and blackened bits of stone thrown haphazardly across the ground in the same way one threw dice. Across the river, a single tarnished metal rod rose defiantly from the sea, its flag a scorched piece of cloth or perhaps animal hide. The uneven walls of the crater were covered in grainy black streaks and looked to be in danger of crumbling.

The air was still, heavy, and odorless. There was no life here. Nothing moved save the listless river.

Becky's knees gave out without warning and she collapsed onto them in the ashes beneath her. Spots danced before her eyes and her breathing became uneven. Her heart thudded in her ears. I've been here before

Sights flashed before her eyes… the flap of hide connected to a pole…. the slight depression in the ground… the heap of charred wood surrounded by evenly placed stones….. the stones thrown about….

People lived here she suddenly realized. Her eyes flew open, when had they closed? That heap of wood had been a house, a home. Children had run across the valley. Adults had talked and worked here. Families dined together… lived….

All of this, all of that… was gone. It had all become nothing but ashes.

Her throat tightened, she felt like she was going to throw up. What happened here?

Her head reeled and she closed her eyes again. Something flickered on the edge of her consciousness…. A vision… or perhaps a memory…

Running through lush, green grass…. The river rushing by, clear, cold and consistent…. The wind whipping through her long hair…. The voices guiding her onward….

A hand on her shoulder broke the experience. Becky looked up into emotionless brown eyes.

"The Valley of Fire…" Sarvavi said blankly, staring at the decimation around them. "Is a reminder that with life always comes death… To the brave and the cowardly alike…" Her grip tightened slightly but her voice remained steady and sober. "This too was once a sacred place…"

The two look around the valley in silence one impassive, one horrified.

"It was one of the holiest places on the planet…" Sarvavi finally said, her eyes moving to the ugly scars on the valley walls that glistened hotly in the sun.

Becky staggered to her feet again, looking at her companion but Sarvavi refused to meet her gaze. "What happened here?" Becky asked.

Sarvavi didn't answer; she was gazing around the valley as if looking for something.

"Follow me." She said curtly and flew to a spot several yards away from where they had been standing. As Becky landed next to her, Sarvavi kicked the thick ashes from the ground at her feet, revealing a small metal circle that looked sort of like a sewer cover. "Stand there." She said. Becky obliged, looking around as she did so. She was more or less in the center of the valley with the river passing by on her left and the destroyed homes on her right. The edges of the bowl rose like sentries on the edge of her vision.

Sarvavi took a few steps back, leaving Becky alone. "Now don't move from that spot and listen carefully." She instructed still not looking at Becky.

Sarvavi closed her eyes and stood still. Becky watched her, focusing her hearing. All she could hear were her companion's deep, calming breaths in the silence of the crater. A slight breeze funneled through the space, sending Becky's hair dancing.

In a flash Sarvavi was off. Becky watched in amazement as she flew a spectacular pattern around the crater above her, creating an entire new valley with the light from her flight. As she watched, transfixed by the aerial dance she became aware of a sound. Voices carried on the winds. Laughter and songs intermixed with screams and cries flowed on the wind, seeming to originate from the valley of light Sarvavi was creating. Becky closed her eyes and listened, hearing focused. Each voice washed through her like a wave on the shore: swelling and receding.

we come baring gifts, we come to rejoice…..

may your spirit walk in your dreams….

to join with the Earth, the rings and the sky

It was as if the voices whispered to her very soul. The deepest part of her felt bathed in warmth from the sound of them. She closed her eyes and imagined they were floating around her, this valley was alive and happy, full of gracious, loving people. A child called for her to come and play. A father told his daughter to pay attention. A mother recited a story to her child. The voices were pure and innocent, perfect…

Too suddenly, they faded to nothing more than a whisper of wind. As Becky sadly peeled her eyes open to the dead-again valley, Sarvavi landed beside her.

"This place was once called the Valley of Voices." Sarvavi said, sounded drained. She looked around, her eyes lingering briefly on a slightly larger heap of charred wood and scorched stone across the river. "As the wind flowed through this place, we used to hear the voices of our ancestors… we used to ask them for guidance and strength here… until it was destroyed." Sarvavi's hand moved and Becky caught her fingers briefly dancing over the knife strapped to her thigh. "I shouldn't have come here again…" Sarvavi barely whispered.

The wind filled the valley once more but Becky heard no voices this time. Without the light, they were silent. Sarvavi raised her head slightly and closed her eyes as the breeze sent her hair and the ashes around her flying in a tiny tornado. For one second, she looked like she was listening for something, asking the wind for guidance. None was offered.

Quite suddenly, Sarvavi opened her eyes. "Come." She commanded Becky.

She took off into the air, not waiting for Becky to follow. After one last look around the sea of ashes, Becky followed.

Sarvavi was silent the whole flight back. Her expression didn't change. She attempted no aerial maneuvers this time. The one time Becky got close enough to actually look at her eyes, they were empty and emotionless. So Becky kept silent and tried to ignore the strange feelings and thoughts running through her.


The sun was beginning to set when they arrived back at the 'Sa temple. Very few people and monkeys were still in the temple courtyard but the windows of some of the surrounding buildings were lit and Becky could hear music and speech pouring from them even without her super-hearing.

Becky landed next to the silent warrior just outside the temple entrance and cleared her throat. "Sarvavi?" She asked tentatively. It was the first time she had spoken since leaving the valley.

The girl looked up, but still did not look directly at Becky. Her eyes were dull and emotionless as she responded. "What is it?"

Becky found herself faltering. "Are… are you alright? Have I done something wrong?" She almost reached out to comfort the girl but decided against it at the last second. "I didn't mean to… to go there.. it's just… I…" She found she couldn't describe the feeling that had led her to the Valley of Fire.

Sarvavi turned to face her completely, her gaze finally resting on Becky. As the eyes scanned her face, the tiniest bit of warmth seemed to creep back into them. Sarvavi chuckled humorlessly. "No Beckyan… you have done nothing wrong." She turned away, looking out over the village below. "I'll be fine, don't worry about me." Somehow, as the girl said it, Becky found it hard not to be concerned.

The silence returned for awhile before Becky plucked up the courage to speak again.

"I was thinking…" Becky began, hoping this would work. She twisted a strand of hair around her finger nervously. "Maybe tonight you could show me that fighting style you used yesterday..?"

"I'm otherwise occupied tonight." Sarvavi said curtly not turning back to her.

Becky tried not to let her disappointment show. "Why?" She asked.

Sarvavi pointed to the sky in response. Becky looked up. "The amber ring is in the fourth quadrant." The warrior said. Becky noticed one of Lexicon's rings had appeared in the sky overhead, seeming caught between the horizon and the bright moon beginning to appear directly overhead as the sunlight faded.

She turned back to Sarvavi. "What does that mean?"

Sarvavi finally spun to face her, her hand dropping. "It means I have somewhere to be and you have studying to do." The warrior replied curtly, her eyes all but back to their normal glow. "You'll find two books near my bed: one on calculus and one on vocabulary. You will be tested on them tomorrow." She warned. "Now go!" She abruptly turned on her heel and headed for the temple entrance without so much as a 'good night'.

Becky stalked off in the opposite direction. Why is she still being so mysterious? Will she ever trust me? Does she trust anyone? She threw a glance over her shoulder to see Sarvavi fly up to the roof of the temple and crouch silently on the peak. Slowly the warrior turned her face to look at the brightening moon. Becky turned away and headed back towards the tent. Suddenly, Wisemann's offer seemed much more tempting.


Flying had made Becky very dirty so she decided to head over to the sacred pool for a bath.

The last of the sun's rays were just dipping below the horizon as she arrived but the stars were out by the hundreds and the amber ring and the moon provided a soft glow. The grotto was empty and peaceful; the perfect spot to relax.

Becky stripped off her dirty pants, shirt and undergarments, grabbed a fistful of the soap leaves and eagerly climbed into the water. While she was pretty sure it wasn't a hot spring, somehow the water was the perfect temperature to make her relax. She washed herself quickly; rubbing the leaves to make them secrete their suds and feeling the pores of her skin open as she scrubbed. Once she was sufficiently clean, she laid her head back in the water and stared at the stars above, looking for new constellations and watching the ring and the moon move incredibly slowly.

As she stared up at the stars, the strong sense of déjà vu stole over her again. She felt as if she had been here before. Bathed here before Sarvavi had shown it to her. Was this feeling a piece of her forgotten memories?

I wonder if I'll ever get those memories back she thought as she floated. Are they just locked away inside my head or were they erased completely?

Becky took a deep breath and submerged herself completely; welcoming the silence the water brought as it filled her ears. She closed her eyes and floated there underwater for a moment, letting her muscles relax and her mind empty.

Beckyan…..

Her eyes flew open. Panicking, she shot for the surface and gasped for air. She found she was shivering, but the water's temperature had not changed. What was that..? She was certain she had heard it. A woman, calling her name softly through the water. But how could she have?

Taking a deep breath, she dove under again, hearing strained. There was no voice. Frustrated, she tried harder. She heard everything: the quiet lapping of the water against the edge of the pool, the popping of the air bubbles from her mouth as they reached the surface, the distressed ripples as something plunged into the water…

Something hard collided with her back and her eyes flew open. She screamed, water filling her nose and mouth. Fear gripped her. Becky kicked for the surface and felt her foot collide with something than tangle with something else. As she struggled to untangle herself from whatever was on top of her, she turned to see her assailant. She could make out a shape. A distinctly human shape.

Suddenly, they broke apart and Becky's head broke the surface. She gasped once, welcoming the rush of air in her lungs, than swam for the edge as fast as possible.

She scrambled out of the water, running in a flash of red light for the pile of cloth that was her clothes. She heard a splash and knew her companion was doing the same.

As she snatched up the pile of clothes and hastily clutched them to her, she caught a glimpse of someone with floppy blonde hair running into the bushes opposite her and stumbling so badly they fell flat on their face. She froze, garments pressed against her suddenly chilly skin. "Tobey?" She asked, desperately thinking: Oh please, no

The blonde head rose from the ground and turned around slowly. "W… Wordgirl?" To her horror, she felt a blush beginning to spread over her face as their gazes met.

It was indeed Tobey: his chest was bare but thankfully the rest of him was hidden behind one of the giant, soft leaves growing around the edge of the clearing. He was staring at her in horror, his cheeks tinged bright red. Suddenly Becky realized: if she could see his face, he could probably see hers. Frantically, she covered her face with one hand, only to find that that made it all that much harder to cover her body with her clothes.

Thinking fast, she jumped behind a tree. Oh please don't let him be lookingoh please, oh please

"Where… where'd you go?" He called, sounding a bit disoriented. Becky felt a rush of relief. Of course, he didn't have his glasses on… he couldn't have gotten a good look….

As she struggled to untangle her limbs from her clothes yet keep everything (including her face) covered, she began to yell: "What…? What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" He yelled back, sounding horrified and hysterical.

"What does it look like?" She shouted back, equally hysterical, as she finally managed to yank the shirt over her head.

"I…..I …..I… I'm so sorry!" Tobey stammered. Becky heard him fumbling around, as if he was trying to pull his clothes on too.

Becky couldn't stop herself from thinking: We were in there togetherWe were naked. The very thought itself was repulsing. She focused instead on getting her damp arms through the sleeves of her shirt.

"How did you even find this place?" She called around the trunk.

"That woman in the infirmary… ummm… Mar….. Marliem! That was her name…! Told me about this place and said I should go…" Tobey replied. Becky finally managed to pull her pants up over her legs, only to discover that in her haste, she had put them on backwards.

"And when I got here…" Tobey continued. "I thought it was empty…. So I jumped in and…" He trailed off; there was no need for him to continue.

Becky took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart in the uneasy silence. No sounds came from Tobey, as if he were waiting too. Her clothes all on correctly, Becky stepped out from behind the tree but didn't turn to face Tobey. She started to walk out of the clearing.

"Where are you going?" He called after her.

For some reason, Becky stopped. "Back to camp. Alone." She emphasized. The last thing she wanted was to be with him right now.

She heard him draw a shaky breath. "Wordgirl, look I'm sorry…. I… didn't mean to…to…." He took another breath. "Invade your privacy like that…. I…"

Becky could feel her hands curling into fists. She was suddenly boiling with anger. "Tobey," She began in a low voice. "If you ever mention this, here or on Earth, EVER, I swear I will… I will…." She couldn't even come up with a threat. To show she meant business, she punched the tree next to her, creating a fist-shaped indent in the bark. She yanked her hand free then stalked back into the woods.

Once the clearing was out of sight, she focused her hearing, just to make sure he wasn't following her. When no footsteps reached her ears, she sank against the nearest tree with a moan. Why did he always do that? Somehow, he was always around at the worst moments. It wouldn't bother her so much if he wasn't Theodore "Tobey" MacCallister: evil boy genius driven crazy by his crush on her. Tobey, the only villain who's intellect was (arguably) close to matching her own. The only villain who had actually come close to figuring out her secret identity on his own (Two-Brains didn't count; he'd found out by accident and, coincidentally, also forgotten by accident).

But it isn't just that she realized. Something else was bugging her about this. Something deep in the pit of her stomach that burned quietly and would not be ignored. Humiliation, she decided. Humiliation and anger. Anger at losing her chance. She was certain that, had Tobey not interrupted her, she would've heard the voice again.

Waitwe were in their together Sarvavi's legend suddenly came back to her and she immediately pushed the thought from her mind. NowayTOBEY is not going to be a part of my life foreverno way.

And even if he was, she had no feelings for Tobey… Right?


As Wordgirl walked away, Tobey sank against the tree next to him. Thatwasa disaster

Anger coursed through him. Why,Tobey? He punched the tree next to him but only succeeded in making his knuckles crack painfully. Instead, he fell against the trunk, rubbing his sore hand, his body heaving with dry sobs. Why do I always mess these things up? This had happened too many times for him to count. Everything he tried to do to connect with Wordgirl failed: lost remotes, innocent valentines, not-so-innocent super-robots…. And even now, when he hadn't even been trying…

He felt his stomach turn with self-loathing as the sting of tears came to his eyes. You shouldn't be crying over this you baby But the harsh voice in his head was silenced by the ache. He didn't understand it. He had tried to like other girls, other guys even! But no matter what, she was always there… the very thought of her setting fire to his brain… driving pins into his heart when she rejected him. Despite what everyone else thought, Tobey knew. Wordgirl wasn't just a silly school-boy crush that made him act like a fool. She made him act like a fool because she was the one. The only one he could ever love.

It had always been her.

His chest seemed to be constricting. His entire center was slowly freezing in her absence. He choked back more sobs as the feeling that his heart was trying to rip free of his chest overcame him. A strange buzzing, gnawing sound filled his ears, making him want to claw them off.

Tobey knew this feeling. He knew there was no way to calm it. Nothing could help him. He curled into a ball, shivering and miserable as the feelings dominated him. Tobey tried to breathe, but his tightening lungs refused to help. Tobey closed his eyes and tensed against the pain. Hopefully it wouldn't last as long this time. He just had to lay here and ride it out.

Alone.

Theodore….


I'm going away for the holidays to have an adventure and hopefully get a lot of writing done. See you all in the new year!